11th August

Today in 1932, President Herbert Hoover was the first man in the US to talk sense in twelve years. He said it was time to scrap Prohibition, an unworkable attempt to curb drinking which merely played into the hands of organized crime. Thanks, Herbert - and thanks too for that vacuum cleaner jobbie; excellent. Now the people of America can drink themselves silly (legally) while cleaning their carpets.

In other news ...
Enid Blyton was born today in 1897. Much rubbished in her own time and since for bad literature, she introduced us to a magic world of kids' adventure infinitely better than Harry Potter and was a champion of political incorrectness with Golliwogs and Mr Plod the policeman.

Come back, Enid, all is forgiven.

12th June

Today in 1931, Alfonso Capone, the son of a Neapolitan barber, was charged with 5000 offences under America's Prohibition Laws. This man had orchestrated the St Valentine's Day Massacre, made an estimated $100 million from bootlegging, racketeering and prostitution and once beat a man to death with a baseball bat. How mad has the world become when all they could actually get him on was tax evasion (the 1930s equivalent of parking on a double yellow line). I can't help thinking a bullet in the head would have been more appropriate, cheaper and final.

In other news ...
Vic Damone, the American singer who had a smash hit with On the Street Where You Live from My Fair Lady was born today in 1928. I only mention him because until I was sixteen I was convinced his name was Victor Moan and I couldn't help thinking that that was a rather risky handle for a vocalist. Mr Damone is happily still with us, I believe, and so a very happy 84th birthday to him, for today.